<p>Haha, that’s true, but I doubt the average user even knows what a partition is :P</p>
<p>Oops…I think I started a mini-debate. It isn’t really degrading to anything bad though, which is good I guess.
Anyone will be fine with pretty much any computer they buy, and I agree, with sense any computer is perfectly fine.
If you want to see some discount offerings directly from Wash U, I found this on Arts and Sciences: [Purchase</a> Computer Equipment and Software | Arts & Sciences Computing](<a href=“Arts & Sciences IT | Washington University in St. Louis”>Arts & Sciences IT | Washington University in St. Louis)
I’m not too sure how the discounts work though, never actually went to either website, but it should be pretty straightforward.
I also know that Dell has some kind of university deals program (separate from this one) where you use the “Find My School” button at the top. I believe Wash U’s discount is around 7%:
[Student</a> Computers from Dell - Choose the Laptop or Desktop for your School - DellUniversity.com](<a href=“Dell Discounts for Students | Dell USA”>Dell Discounts for Students | Dell USA)</p>
<p>It really is all a matter of personal preference. I had a Dell for 3 years before switching to a Macbook Pro. The reason for my switch was that I was issued a PowerBook G4 for use in a bioinformatics class. Bioinformatics requires a lot of multitasking and computing power, and even though my Dell and the borrowed PowerBook were essentially the same age with similar specs, the PowerBook breezed through tasks that would lag on the Dell. So when it came time to replace my laptop, I opted for a Macbook Pro.</p>
<p>Just a few notes about the types of public computers available on campus to add to what Johnson181 has said. Bio department is almost totally Macs. Artsci computing is split evenly. Engineering computer labs are all Windows. ResLife is split, with recent purchases all being Macs with both Mac Os and Vista.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this thread is dead or not, but as a grad student entering the architecture program this fall, I was wondering much the same question as the TC:</p>
<p>What’s a good laptop for WashU? (I am slightly worried there are certain networking or support issues that I’m not aware of.)</p>
<p>I know it comes down to preference, style, and budget, which is why I’m leaning towards a PC. I would love a Macbook Pro, but I’d probably end up using bootcamp anyways, so my options are; Lenovo Y 550 for budget, or a Dell XPS 16 customized with upgrades for performance. I’m buying it with Solidworks/Rhino/Sketchup/InDesign/Photoshop in mind, so if any of you know architecture students’ experience with laptops, advice would be much appreciated.</p>